Sudhir Kakkar on 'Parenting Violence'

Following is one of the most fascinating articles I read in Times of India recently.

Teach your children that compassion is above justice
In the opening piece, celebrated psycho-analyst Sudhir Kakar says we need to free ourselves from the ancient curse of humankind


Violence, we must admit, is as Indian as aam ka achar, as American as apple pie, as Japanese as sushi rolls. Odd as it may sound, the two biggest causes of violence all over the world, identified by psychologists such as Roy Baumeister, are the two we admire as positive qualities and encourage in our children: high self-esteem and moral idealism. On the collective level, we give high self-esteem, the narcissism of a community, the high sounding name of izzat, honour, and justify any number of acts of cruelty and murderous violence in its name. But there is even a greater source of violence that bedevils our individual and collective lives: moral idealism.

Once you believe that your violence is a means to a moral end, the floodgates to brutality are opened. As long as the perpetrator of violence maintains his moral commitment, to his faith, to his religious community, to the oppressed, or whatever else is the ‘cause’, he rarely displays guilt or shame for his murderous actions, something which is not true of the same actions as a member of other kinds of groups. We know that most major atrocities of the last century, and I have no doubt the trend will continue in the present one, were carried out by men believing they were creating utopias or defending their faith or idealised community from attack. Idealism is dangerous because it is inevitably accompanied by the belief that the end justifies the means. If you are fighting for God, for the oppressed or your religious community, then what matters is the outcome, not the path. Once you feel you have a moral mandate, you care much less for rules and legalities; the quest for ‘justice’ tends to be contemptuous of the notion of fairness.

Unfortunately, there have been eloquent voices that have defended violence in service of justice. In her Reflections on Violence, the philosopher Hannah Arendt writes “...under certain circumstances violence, which is to act without argument or speech and without reckoning with consequences, is the only possibility of setting the scales of justice right again...In this sense, rage and the violence that sometimes, not always, goes with it, belong to the ‘natural’ emotions, and to cure man of them would mean nothing less than to dehumanise or emasculate him’’. (Arendt on Violence)

The problem with this position is that such ‘hot’ violence inevitably turns into a ‘cold’ carnage characterised by planning and calculation. Moreover, violence that begins with a clear purpose acquires a life of its own, fulfilling obscure wishes more than its consciously stated goals. It begins to exercise a dangerous fascination, a “terrible beauty’’ from which too we cannot avert our eyes. We get a glimpse of this fascination in many kinds of collective violence, especially of the revolutionary kind. This violence has been described by Franz Fanon, in his The Wretched of the Earth, as one that “binds men together as a whole, since each individual forms a violent link in a great chain, a part of the great organism of violence which has surged
upwards’’. He might well have been speaking of the orgasm of violence.

No, what we need is a blanket rejection of violence, no matter what the cause. Justice is extremely important but we need to hold and teach our children that the value of compassion is above that of justice. When Gandhiji, in contrast to revolutionaries of the left and right, insisted on the priority of means over ends, he was intuitively aware of the malignant violence inherent in the other position.

What can we do? In the short term, there is no alternative to a firm resolve of the state that violence, no matter what the stated cause, will not be permitted. We know, for instance, that in ethnic/communal riots there is a window of about 24 hours in which the tension between the opposing groups is very high but violent acts have not yet taken place. Firm police action in this crucial time period can prevent the outbreak of violence which will otherwise spiral out of control. How to isolate responsible police officers from political interference in this 24-hour period (switching off all mobile contact?) is an issue needing urgent attention. In the longer term, we need to focus our educational efforts on emphasising the value of compassion, of which fairness and tolerance are important constituents, as much as of justice, of re-dedicating ourselves to the priority of means over ends. This is not an idealistic choice but is based on our evolutionary reality as human beings. We need to awaken our natural human compassion to counteract our perhaps equally natural propensity to violence and not just cede the battleground to the latter.

Indeed, compassion is as natural as violence. We now know from experiments using brain imaging that watching the suffering of someone who appears to be a victim of violence, activates a similar ‘pain network’ in our brains, the so-called ‘mirror neurons’. Showing the sufferings of victims of terror attacks or other forms of collective violence, as part of our educational curriculum in schools and colleges is an obvious next step in the long term combating of violence. We need to use all our available knowledge on social violence to begin freeing ourselves from this ancient curse of humankind.

(Times of India. 2 Oct 2008, Page 16)

Here is another one from The Hindu on workplace violence

(P.S.:In the last three years that I have been experimenting with blogs in education, I have kept the 'personal' and matters 'unrelated' to curricula out of this space. This is the first time that I am posting an article 'unrelated' to formal curricula that I engage with. It's an indication of some of the fundamental questions arising in me about teaching and education, more on this sometime....)

My Replies

I am glad to see that this blogspace is put to good use. While I appreciate your questions, due to my other academic work I am unable to respond immediately. I wish to deffer all my responses till 13. Hope that is fine.

In the mean time others can respond to the questions directed towards me in this blog.

All the best for your practicals and theory exams.

a

'Way of the World' and other material

Aishwarya has asked for material on 'Way of the World'
Here is what I found. May be some of you should check for annotated version in the library as well.

1. Good ol' Wiki!
2. Pink Monkey. For better effect do not click on the links but click on next button at the bottom of the page
3. From Answers.Com
4. From Faculty.Goucher!

Many of the poems and at least one of the essays are available with annotations (i.e. explanations of words and meanings!) in the Macmillan edition on various poets in the library. There is a book called 'Explorations' which was the textbook for Optional English a few years ago when the institution was under Bangalore university. You will find it in one the last rows of the UG English racks. It has material for many of your poems and at least one Essay. I think it's on Will Wimble.

Cheers!

Literary Theory questions - FEP and PSEng

III year FEP and PSEng students may post their questions here and also try to answer/respond to the questions of other discussants.

In this blog I have posted on postmodernism, feminism and related topics in the past two years. Those of you who wish to have a peak into them can type the keyword/s in the search box left-hand-top corner of this blog.

I JPEng, IFEP topics for End Sem OE preparation

Some preparation around the following topics/concepts might be of use

• Frame narrative

• Characteristics of the Anglo Saxon poetry : 1. From Wiki 2. An excellent comprehensive ppt - copy and paste the following link in the URL : wwwf.countryday.net/FacStf/US/marting/ShakespodosphearePodcasts/AngloSaxon/Anglo-Saxon%20Poetry.pps

• Blank Verse 1. From Wiki 2. From ???
  

• Sonnet
• Renaissance
  
• Characteristics of Shakespeare's sonnets
  
• Romanticism
• Epic
• Mock-epic
• Elizabethan theatre
• Restoration
  
• Comedy
• Comedy of manners
• Restoration comedy
• Tragedy
• Shakespearean tragedy
• Sentimental comedy
• History of essay
• Graveyard Poets
• Characteristics of the poems of important English Romantics
• Origin and gowth of novel genre

... and the good/bad news is ... NO QUESTIONS ON PRINT CULTURE - NATION-STATES!!!!!!

Abey has asked for material on the topics put up above. Do not know if time permits. Most of the topics like, tragedy have material in "A Glossary of Literary Terms" by MH Abrams. The reference section has a copy. UG section also might have. Look for the topics not on the content page or alphabetically. Instead look up in the index section at the end of the book.

Alternatively, you can also post your online finds in the comment section below. What say u?

PS: Passing of this info to your classmates might help them

Extra Innings!!!!!!!!!

The II Sem JPEng has asked me to spend more time on Alexander's Feast. We will meet to discuss this poem more on 4 Oct. at 9 am sharp in I JPEng classroom

Some V Sem FEP and PSEng students have asked for some time to clarify. I will make myself available in Room 109 at 2 pm sharp on 4 Oct. However, I wish that you post your questions/ areas to touch upon in the comments sections below (preferabley) or email me. I will take up those that are feasible.

Due to evaluation work, PG classes, and other academic work, I may not be able to entertain queries thereafter.

All the best.

As we come to the end of the Certificate Course on Philosophy/Existentialism

We have come to the end of the Certificate Course in Existentialism/Philosophy which began on 30 June 2008. Come to think of it, we have spent three months engaging with the topic.

First of all let me thank all of you - UG and PG students, especially those who have been supporting all the certificate courses i organise, office and teaching staff of the University, and those from industry for having taken part in this course. I am extremely grateful to Dr Kachappilly for teaching the course. I am not sure but for this semester we could have ever been able to get him. I personally appreciate his down-to-earth attitude and scholarship.

I thank my colleague and friend Padmakumar for chipping in during emergencies, and being a constant support in all my activities.

I am grateful to Associate Dean and HOD-Media Studies, Mr Kennedy for helping me make the course happen, Certificate Course Co-ordinator, Mr George and Dean Prof Krishnaswamy for their cooperation, and the management for their regular support for such innovative activities.

A gentle reminder about the viva on Monday between 3 and 4 and 5 and 6. The last date for paper submission is 5 Oct. You may email your papers to me.

I am planning to organise a Certificate Course in Indian Philosophy which will be an introduction to the six systems of Indian Philosophy in the the first two weeks of December 2008. Will be in touch as it materialises. Those interested are welcome.

(Photoes : Swatilekha Doloi)

Site on Literary Theory and Criticism

Aneesha has sent sites on literary theory and criticism. Here they are...
1. Critical Reading: An Introduction to Literary Theory and Criticism
2. Dr Kristi Siegel's webpage

Below are the one's I have come across for more extensive academic engagement.
1. Marxists Internet Archive
2. Semiotics for Beginners
3. Textetc.com
4. Philosophy Study Guides from Sparknotes

'Paradise Lost' extract - notes

Siddarth has asked me to post material on the exact from Paradise Lost. Here it is.
1. From Sparknotes
2. From Pinkmonkey
3. A paper on invocation

Material on 'Macbeth'

1. Annotated hypertext
2. 'Enjoying Macbeth' by Ed Friedlander
3. From Sparknotes
4. From Classicnotes
5. From Wikipedia

'Semilogy and Rhetoric' Paul de Man - notes

1. A commentary by John Phillips
2. Notes by Richard Clarke

Announcement - Certificate Course in Philosophy

Next Saturday, 27 September 2008 will be the last day of the Certificate Course in Existentialism class. Dr Kachappilly will discuss Nietzsche on that day. Those interested are welcome.

There will be a photo session of the course participants after the class. Would request those who have digital camera to come with one as I do not have access to one.

On 28 Sept 2008, 2 pm onwards there will be viva for evaluation in Dr Kachappilly's office, DVK Auditorium Block near University car park.

Alternatively, those who wish to submit papers in the normal research paper format my do so latest by 5 October.

Notes on 'Alexander's Feast'

1. From Representative Poetry Online
2. Tercentenery Essays on Dryden
3. With 'sidenotes'!

Notes on 'Rape of the Lock'

1. From Sparknotes
2. From Wikipedia
3. From Cummings Study Guides
4. With Annotations
5. From Representative Poetry Online
6. From Literary Encyclopedia
7. From Enotes
8. An essay by Ian Mackean on 'Rape of the Lock'
9 'Rape of the Lock' Home Page

Department of Media Studies

presents
BACKSTAGE PASSES

(A PERFORMANCE BASED LITERATURE SEMINAR)

DATE- Sunday, 21st September 2008
TIME- 10 AM to 5 PM
VENUE- Christ University Auditorium

Inaugural Address - Dr.(Fr.) Thomas C Mathew
Vice-Chancellor, Christ University


Chief Guest

Shobhaa De
Novelist & Columnist